Category Archives: Quantity

Tell FDEP: stop withdrawing our springs 2023-08-28

According to a 2016 Florida state law, FDEP is supposed to “adopt uniform rules for issuing permits that prevent groundwater withdrawals harmful to the water resources and a uniform definition of the term “harmful to the water resources” to provide water management districts with minimum standards necessary to be consistent with the overall water policy of the state for Outstanding Florida Springs.“

The department’s writeup even says, “The rule is likely to affect consumptive use permitting in the Northwest Florida, Suwannee River, St. Johns River and Southwest Florida water management districts.”

Well, it won’t limit permitting in its current form.

[Agenda for 2023-08-28 and Madison Blue Spring 2022-06-04]
Agenda for 2023-08-28 and Madison Blue Spring 2022-06-04

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is holding a workshop on development of this rule.

You can ask them to actually follow the law and protect our springs.

That’s 11 AM, Monday, August 28, 2023, at the
Alachua County Headquarters Library, Meeting Room A,
401 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601.

Sierra Club Florida has an RSVP form

Here is the agenda: Continue reading →

Echols County Okefenokee Resolution 2023-08-03

Update 2023-08-10: Chainsaw cleanup, Outings, Boat Ramps, Okefenokee Swamp –Suwannee Riverkeeper @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07.

Thanks to the Echols County Commission for passing this resolution last Thursday, August 3, 2023.

[Suwannee River and Agenda, Echols County Commission 2023-08-03]
Suwannee River and Agenda, Echols County Commission 2023-08-03

And thanks to the Echols County citizens who asked the Commission to do that.

A Resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp and against the Twin Pines Minerals strip mine

Continue reading →

Reschedule Retry Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-19

Update 2023-08-18: Re-reschedule Retry Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-09-02.

Hoping for higher and cleaner river water, this time we are aiming at 9 AM, Saturday, August 19, 2023, to chainsaw one big deadfall between I-75 and GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River, and maybe a few more between GA 133 and the Little River Confluence.

For our original date, the river level was two feet below our recommended level of 116′ NAVD88, and Valdosta had just reported very high E. coli in that stretch.

On this new date of August 19th, we may also use a put-in closer to our main deadfall target. Bring a rope on at least one end of your boat for lowering it in there. Bring a chainsaw if you really know how to use it, but you do not have to saw to join us.

Our main target this time is one remaining big deadfall between I-75 and GA 133.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 4 PM, Friday, August 19, 2023

Put In: Meet at the back of the Salty Snapper parking lot, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602 and we’ll go to the put-in from there.

GPS: 30.861764, -83.318854

[Crowe Deadfall 2022-07-30; Riverhill Drive Deadfall 2022-10-16; Reschedule Retry Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-19]
Crowe Deadfall 2022-07-30; Riverhill Drive Deadfall 2022-10-16;
Retry Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-19

Continue reading →

Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-26: Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek OK Sunday 2023-06-25.

Here are two WWALS water quality testers at one of their usual spots, sampling on an unusual day.

[Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25]
Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Cindy and David Vedas could not sample most of their locations on the usual day of Thursday. So they followed up today (Sunday). Their results will be available tomorrow.

Here’s a WWALS YoutTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qx0_SfMo0jAGttJXZnjLqSm

For much more about the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/ Continue reading →

Work in progress at Lakeland Boat Ramp 2023-06-20

Update 2023-06-27: Good Alapaha River 2023-06-25.

Thanks to GA-DNR for silt fences and turbidity curtains during their upgrade of Lakeland Boat Ramp, and for that upgrade.

Also thanks to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) for officially adopting the name Lakeland Boat Ramp as decided back in 2018 by the Lakeland County Commission, as well as Berrien Beach Boat Ramp, also decided in 2018 by the Berrien County Commission, both for the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail. This naming development is specifically thanks to WWALS tester Kimberly Tanner and GA-DNR Boating Access Coordinator Jeff E. Bishop.

[At-water ARWT sign, silt fences and turbidity curtain, Lakeland Boat Ramp, 2023-06-20]
At-water ARWT sign, silt fences and turbidity curtain, Lakeland Boat Ramp, 2023-06-20

When I took these pictures, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Statenville Gauge read about 7.17 feet (83.27′ NAVD88). Today, Saturday, June 24th, the Alapaha River is almost seven feet higher, at 14.01′ (90.11′ NAVD88), into Action Stage.

So don’t be surprised if GA-DNR’s plan to start work May 30 and end about July 26 gets extended a bit. Continue reading →

The Mermaid says sign the petition, Rights to Clean Water for Florida 2023-03-26

The mermaid likes it.

Florida registered voters, please sign the petition to get a state constitutional amendment for Rights to Clean and Healthy Waters on the ballot:
https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org

[The Mermaid says sign the RTCW petition]
The Mermaid says sign the RTCW petition

This picture of Mermaid Danielle Shmalberg with the RTCW petition and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman was taken at the 2023 OSFR Songwriting Contest, part of RiverFest by Our Santa Fe River.

WWALS has shamelessly copied that idea for years. Join us Friday evening, September 22, 2023, for the sixth annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest as part of the first-ever WWALS gala fundraising dinner, WWALS River Revue:
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/ Continue reading →

Pictures: Suwannee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Three Steps Landing to Fargo, GA 2023-06-10

The second Suwannee River Chainsaw Cleanup went well. Got a little hot in the middle, and rained towards the end.

[Chainsawing deadfalls, Suwannee River 2023-06-10]
Chainsawing deadfalls, Suwannee River 2023-06-10

But the rain came only after we cleared four deadfalls above Fargo Ramp and Reeves Landing: Continue reading →

Rivers and mining: WWALS comments on Suwannee-Satilla Draft Regional Water Plan 2023-05-15

Sent yesterday as PDF, in response to the invitation to comment and before the May 24, 2023 meeting in Tifton of the Georgia Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council.

[The WWALS letter and rivers and mines in and near the Suwannee River Basin]
The WWALS letter and rivers and mines in and near the Suwannee River Basin

May 15, 2023

To: Water Planning

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
water.planning@dnr.ga.gov

RE: WWALS Comments on SSRWPC Draft Regional Water Plan

Dear DNR,

Responding to your invitation to comment on the draft Regional Water Plans, I write to mention some omissions in the Suwannee-Satilla Regional Draft Water Plan of March 2023.

Continue reading →

Agenda: Tifton, GA, meeting, Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council 2023-05-24

Update 2023-05-16: Rivers and mining: WWALS comments on Suwannee-Satilla Draft Regional Water Plan 2023-05-15.

We have an agenda for the May 24, 2023, meeting of the Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Commission (SSRWPC) in Tifton, Georgia.

Note the SRWMD presentation about Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs), as in the ongoing SRWMD peer review of the Upper and Middle Suwannee River MFLs.

SSRWPC will also be discussing their Lake Beatrice water storage and Alapaha River replenishment scheme, which has assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Don’t wait until the SSRWPC meeting to get your comments in on their Georgia Regional Water Plan by May 15, 2023.

[The attendees: Sheri Almer and Cliff Lewis of GA-EPD, Emory Gawlik and Shayne Wood of GDM Smith, Council Mac McCall, Chair Scott Downing, Foreground Bert Early of Georgia Forestry, Elizabeth Backe of SGRC, Emily Ducker and Sean King of SRWMD --John S. Quarterman Suwannee Riverkeeper]
SSRWPC meeting 2023-03-14.

Received this morning in response to a WWALS request, Cliff Lewis wrote:

Agenda for the upcoming meeting is below. See you then. Continue reading →

Comment deadline for Georgia draft regional water plans 2023-05-15

Update 2023-05-16: Rivers and mining: WWALS comments on Suwannee-Satilla Draft Regional Water Plan 2023-05-15.

The comment deadline is coming up in less than two weeks for the Georgia Regional Water Plans.

[Comment deadline 2023-05-15]
Comment deadline 2023-05-15

Here is the notice:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/GADNR/bulletins/35828a6

The draft plans are here:
https://waterplanning.georgia.gov/regional-water-plans

The Suwannee-Satilla draft plan is here:
https://waterplanning.georgia.gov/suwannee-satilla-regional-water-plan

Send comments to: water.planning@dnr.ga.gov

For more information, please contact Clete Barton at (470) 251-4769 or Clete.Barton@dnr.ga.gov

The Suwannee-Satilla Regional Planning Council (SSRWPC) is meeting a few days after the deadline, May 24th, in Tifton.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/